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37 Years of Outstanding Wrestling
and Counting! | |
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In October 1972 Bob Caudle of WRAL-TV in Raleigh proposed that a high school wrestling tournament be held at NC State Gym on December 29-30. This signaled the birth of the WRAL Invitational! The tournament committee consisted of Johnny Clements and Watson Hollifield, the city and county athletic directors, and tournament director, Jerry Barker, then Assistant Wrestling Coach at NC State. Seven Raleigh area schools participated and the finals were done LIVE, Saturday afternoon at 1:30 in the WRAL-TV studio. The 25th annual tournament was held at Athens Drive High School in December 1996. It was a celebration of 25 years of a great tournament - with 20 outstanding teams from four states; recognition of past champions; appreciation to Capitol Broadcasting Company for faithful sponsorship; and more! At the awards ceremony on Saturday night, place winners were presented with medals by 1996 Olympic champion Kendall Cross. During its 37 year history, the WRAL has had 472 different teams and 6,145 wrestlers and 135 schools from NC, SC, VA, WV, GA, PA, NJ, FL and LA. Three tournaments were decided on the very last match. There have been several outstanding wrestlers, most notably Dave Cooke (Sanderson, placed 2nd in NCAA), Jay Stainback (Sanderson, placed 2nd in NCAA DII), and Stan Banks (E. Mecklenburg, NCAA All-American and College All-Star winner). Other notable wrestlers are Colton Palmer (Durham Riverside), 2-time NC state champ, the ONLY 4-time WRAL champion, and national record holder for wins in a season with 91, and Jon Burns (Cardinal Gibbons) 2-time WRAL Champion, 2-time NC state champion, and 2007 Walsh Ironman. |
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This year, the WRAL invitational will be held on Friday and Saturday December 18-19. It will be a 36-team double elimination tournament run on 7 mats with NO TEAM ENTRY FEE. There are a few open slots left so contact Jerry Barker at (919) 513-3285 or via email at jwbarker@gw.fis.ncsu.edu if interested in participating this year or in the future. See the current tournament information section for updates and hotel rates for the area if your team is participating in the tournament. This section will contain all updates as we get closer to the tournament as well. We are thankful for the sponsorship that has allowed the 37 years of wrestling history ath the WRAL-TV High School Invitational Wrestling Tournament, and for our great participants, coaches, and fans. With your help we are REAL 5-STAR WRESTLING! | |
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Michael Wood.
Athens Drive High School. 1420 Athens Drive. Raleigh, NC 27606. (919)
233-4050 |
